Hyundai Problems

A car that is difficult to start could be suffering from, literally, hundreds of different problems. You need to have the car electronically scanned to see if the on-board computer has logged any faults of glitches in the fuel or ignition system. That's the best way forward or you could find yourself replacing perfectly good components without any change in the car's behaviour.

And don't rule out basic stuff like a battery that seems fine but is struggling to turn the engine over as well as supply enough power for the ignition to work properly. Modern cars with electronically controlled major functions really don't like a battery that is slack and cold weather will often show that problem up.

Also, when you say you've checked the fuel filter, what do you mean? Did you replace it or simply do a visual inspection. You can't really tell by looking at a filter how gunked up it is inside, so while it all looks okay, it could still be a contributing factor in your starting problems. An accurate diagnosis will also be easier if the mechanic has more information to work with. So start taking notice of exactly what is happening. For instance, is the car more difficult to start hot or cold? Does leaving it overnight make a difference to trying to start it for the second time that day? Does the ambient temperature have an effect on starting difficulty? Are there any specific noises the engine makes when it becomes recalcitrant? Keep a diary of this stuff... it might save you money.

It wasn’t until the end of 2010 that Hyundai got around to fitting the i20 with Bluetooth tech, so really early examples of the i20 missed out. But Bluetooth is available on all other i20 years and variants, so here’s the skinny on how to connect Bluetooth to Hyundai i20 models:

Hyundai i20 Bluetooth pairing starts with your phone having Bluetooth switched on and the phone in discoverable mode. You then need to press the Menu button on the car’s control panel and use the right-hand dial to scroll through till you find the Bluetooth prompt. Press Enter and then highlight the Pair function and hit Enter again. From there, you’ll get a series of vocal prompts which will lead to the info screen showing a pass-key number. Enter those numbers into your phone, hit the green button and you should be connected.

Some later model i20s have slightly different procedures, but the basics are the same: Search for the car on your phone, use the set-up menu on the screen, and then enter the correct pass-key number. While some other systems display the pass-key number on both car and phone, Bluetooth Hyundai i20 style needs the pass-key as a manual entry to your phone.

Once you have the connection established, the Hyundai i20 Bluetooth will allow all the usual functions including music streaming. The car and phone should automatically pair each time you enter the car from then on. If problems occur, the first place to look for answers is the owner’s manual, but a Hyundai dealer should also be able to help with troubleshooting.

The i30 should be fine for this sort of towing. You won't be placing too much stress on the car's mechanicals, and Hyundai rates the i30 to tow up to 1300kg. But there's a catch.

And that is that you're more likely to be limited by the trailer rather than the car itself. That's because that 1300kg limit is on the proviso that the trailer is fitted with its own brakes. Without a braked trailer, Hyundai reduces the towing limit to 600kg. The average box trailer doesn't have brakes, so that lower figure is most likely going to be your limit. Admittedly, that is still probably more than enough for what you have in mind.

Modern engine oils contain lots of additives (including detergents) to protect an engine from wear as well as keeping it clean inside. In many cases, this internal cleaning process is what makes the oil go a darker colour over time.

That said, I'd be surprised if an engine with just 40,000km on board is dirty enough inside to make the oil go black. Have you owned the vehicle from new? Did perhaps, a previous owner skip oil changes that allowed black sludge to build up inside the engine?

But equally, don't confuse discoloured with black. Check the oil when the engine is still warm. Hot oil should appear a slightly lighter colour than the same oil in the same engine when it's stone cold. Wipe some of the oil on the dipstick on to a clean piece of paper towel. Does it still look black, or is there a brown-ness to it? If it truly is black than you might need to switch to a high-detergent oil and give the engine a couple of quick oil changes (say, 1000km apart) to see if that cleans things up a bit inside.

Now having said all that, the question becomes one of whether your car is a petrol or diesel-engined i30. If it's a petrol engine, the above advice stands. But if it's a diesel engine, then ignore the above and stop worrying. That's because diesel engines are inherently filthy things which eat a proportion of their own exhaust soot and are, therefore, notoriously grotty, turning their engine oil black in seconds. In fact, by the time the oil has been poured into the filler cap and drained to the sump – before the engine has even been started – it's black. This is quite normal.

If you're selling or trading-in the car, then a quality, tested second-hand engine from a wrecked iX35 is probably your best bet. This will be the cheaper option and even though you could spend a lot of money having the current engine reconditioned or a brand-new engine fitted, you'll find that won't affect the resale value as much as the extra outlay.

That said, it all depends on what's wrong with the current engine. If it's completely trashed, then a replacement is the go. But if your engine has simply stopped working for a potentially simple reason, then it might be worthwhile fixing it and maybe saving even more money. Either way, making your car a proper running vehicle again will definitely justify the cost as it's virtually worthless in a non-running state.

As for other brands of engines, the only viable choice is the same engine that make and model came with from the factory. Trying to fit anything else is a whole new car of very expensive worms.

This is how car dealerships get a bad name. Your car would have come with a five-year/unlimited kilometre factory warranty. Since it's been (factory) serviced by the book, that cover should still apply up to October 2024. Which means it's Hyundai's problem to make it work properly every time you turn the key.

The fault certainly sounds like it lies with the inhibitor switch (which prevents the car starting unless it's in Park or Neutral) but it doesn't matter. If the car doesn't work correctly and it's under warranty, it's Hyundai's responsibility to put it right. Of course, there are exceptions such as examples of driver abuse and normal wear and tear items like tyres and brake pads, but a critical safety function like this is definitely a warranty issue.

Contact Hyundai's customer service department, report the issue and the dealership's `offer' and see what head office has to say.

If a timing belt breaks, one of two things are likely. Either the broken belt will allow the valves and pistons of the engine to collide, instantly turning the engine to scrap. (This is what happens in what's known as an interference engine design.)

The other alternative is that the belt snaps, but no intrinsic metallic parts collide (this is the case in a non-interference engine). If that's the case, the car won't run, but if a new belt is fitted and the engine retimed, it should work perfectly afterwards.

But even in an interference engine, if the tensioner gets slack but doesn't actually allow the timing belt to jump ship or break, then there's a chance that you've avoided a catastrophic failure. The bottom line is that if your engine suffered a problem with the timing belt, but works properly after being fixed, then all should be good in the long run.

Depending on what sort of noise the transmission is making, this sounds like a broken or worn out clutch. Without a properly functioning clutch, gears can be extremely difficult to select and can also cause horrible graunching, grinding noises when trying to select any gear, but particularly reverse.

If this is, indeed, the problem, you could be looking at thousands of dollars to remove the transmission, replace the clutch and reassemble the driveline. You might even find that the engine's flywheel is also beyond saving and needs replacing, too.

On the other hand, the lazy clutch could be a simple case of a leaking or worn clutch slave or master cylinder or even a poorly adjusted clutch system which is allowing the clutch to disobey what the clutch pedal is telling it to do. If that's the case, the fix could be quite simple and relatively cheap.

The point is that you need to know what the problem is before handing over the money, because the value of the same car with either problem will be vastly different. Perhaps finding a car with a properly working clutch and driveline is a better option.

From the sounds of things, you need a vehicle that can accommodate the wheelchair as an actual seat in the car rather than having the chair folded and stored for the journey. With that in mind, a van or people-mover is by far the best best bet and the news is good, because there are plenty of choices. For a while there, people were converting Ford Falcon station-wagons for this task, but since the Falcon is no longer made, vans have become the new default vehicle to convert. Which makes plenty of sense.

There are specialist firms around that will carry out whatever conversion you require and tailor-make the ramps, lock-down points and grab-rails you need to make it work for you. Switched on companies will sit down with you and discuss your precise requirements and engineer something bespoke if necessary.

At the moment, the list of car choices is pretty long and includes the new Hyundai Staria, VW Caddy, LDV G10, VW Caravelle, Renault Kangoo, Renault Trafic, Hyundai iLoad, Mercedes-Benz V-Class, Toyota HiAce and, in case you need something really big, even the Toyota Coaster. Some of these companies are also registered as NDIS suppliers.

But don’t rule out a second-hand vehicle, either. There are websites around listing used wheelchair-accessible cars for sale. Some will be ex-taxis, but others can be relatively low-kilometre cars that might just have the exact layout you were looking for.

Failures of these engines is a known thing with this generation of Hyundais (and Kias that used the same engine). Hyundai is well aware of the problem, so the first thing to do is contact Hyundai’s customer service division.

You may find that an independent inspection of the engine is a good idea, to determine whether the failure was caused by the known fault or by something more random. In our experience, Hyundai has been very diligent at sorting out such issues.

If you want to take it even further, a class action against Hyundai and Kia on this basis was launched earlier this month.